Premiere: 'Completely inaccurate' to say Limbaugh has lost '48 of top 50' advertisers

5/7/13 5:50 PM EDT

Rush Limbaugh's syndicator Premiere Networks is pushing back against a Radio Ink report that claimed 48 of the top 50 network advertisers “exclude Rush and [Sean] Hannity," the two highest-rated personalities on talk radio.

“That statement is completely inaccurate," Rachel Nelson, Clear Channel's director of communications, said in a statement. "A number of the top spenders in the medium use talk radio to promote their brands and sell product, and many of them use The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show as the driving force of their marketing efforts."

On Sunday, an industry source similarly told POLITICO that "90 of Limbaugh's top 100 advertisers" had instituted a "No Rush" policy, meaning they would not advertise during Limbaugh's program. That information could not be confirmed, and thus was not reported.

Radio Ink's report comes amid tensions between Limbaugh and Cumulus Media, which carries The Rush Limbaugh Show on 40 stations in key markets around the country. On Sunday, POLITICO reported that Limbaugh was considering ending his affiliation agreement with Cumulus because he was frustrated with CEO Lew Dickey, who as recently as today blamed Limbaugh for advertising losses.

A portion of Cumulus's talk-radio-related losses, including $2.4 million in the first quarter of this year, stem from last year's advertising boycott against Limbaugh, who had made controversial remarks about Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke. But the full extent of Limbaugh's effect on Cumulus's revenues is unclear.

"We've had a tough go of it the last year," Dickey said on Tuesday's earnings call when asked about Limbaugh. "The facts are indisputable regarding the impact certain things have had on ad dollars." He did not comment further.